Leos Box
Celebrating B Corp Month: Ocean Bottle
What made Ocean Bottle become a B Corp?
We officially became a B Corp back in December 2020, and applied for it as soon as it became available to us back in March 2020. Right from the get-go, we knew that we wanted to become B Corp Certified, as it’s the right community to be a part of. We hope that it’ll become at least the baseline for every company while purpose-driven companies lead the way for how businesses of the future should operate.
How does it change the way that Ocean Bottle works on a day to day basis?
We didn’t decide to join the B Corp community with a financial focus in mind. For us, it was more about broadcasting our environmental and social commitments to a wider community of stakeholders, and holding ourselves accountable to them. From inception, we have dedicated a lot of effort to the circularity and transparency of our value chain. So for us, becoming B Corp certified actually didn’t impact financially our production or operations.
How has B Corp provided a framework to improve Ocean Bottle's impact?
At Ocean Bottle, we think of ourselves as an ocean-impact company first, a reusable bottle company second. Making a positive impact will always be a non-negotiable for us. The B Corp assessment is really focused on traceability and accountability, rightfully so. The biggest challenge for us as a one-year-old startup being eligible to become certified was putting in writing all the initiatives and commitments we either had already undertaken naturally, being a social and environmental enterprise, or were planning to as part of our sustainability goals. The framework of the B Corp certification has helped us with reporting our efforts, which we do in our yearly Impact Report.
What advice would you offer to companies attempting to become a B Corp?
It’s important to look at the assessment under every lens and to consider every section as equally important. B Corp is about recognising that efforts are being made through your entire organization and for every possible stakeholder. It’s okay to not be perfect, but it’s critical, to be honest with where you are and where you need to improve.
Do you believe that B Corps are offering a better direction for sustainability?
We believe that being a B Corp is the right community to be a part of. We hope that it’ll become at least the baseline for every company while purpose-driven companies lead the way for how businesses of the future should operate. However, no certification can solve the world’s problems, and becoming a B Corp shouldn’t be an excuse to continue as we are.
Sustainability is about creating a positive impact, ensuring that future generations have the resources they need. Simply doing ‘less damage’ as a company is not enough. We need to be doing more for the planet and its inhabitants. The argument for mitigating action through offsetting or tree planting is the same. It shouldn’t be an excuse to carry on as usual.
We officially became a B Corp back in December 2020, and applied for it as soon as it became available to us back in March 2020. Right from the get-go, we knew that we wanted to become B Corp Certified, as it’s the right community to be a part of. We hope that it’ll become at least the baseline for every company while purpose-driven companies lead the way for how businesses of the future should operate.
How does it change the way that Ocean Bottle works on a day to day basis?
We didn’t decide to join the B Corp community with a financial focus in mind. For us, it was more about broadcasting our environmental and social commitments to a wider community of stakeholders, and holding ourselves accountable to them. From inception, we have dedicated a lot of effort to the circularity and transparency of our value chain. So for us, becoming B Corp certified actually didn’t impact financially our production or operations.
How has B Corp provided a framework to improve Ocean Bottle's impact?
At Ocean Bottle, we think of ourselves as an ocean-impact company first, a reusable bottle company second. Making a positive impact will always be a non-negotiable for us. The B Corp assessment is really focused on traceability and accountability, rightfully so. The biggest challenge for us as a one-year-old startup being eligible to become certified was putting in writing all the initiatives and commitments we either had already undertaken naturally, being a social and environmental enterprise, or were planning to as part of our sustainability goals. The framework of the B Corp certification has helped us with reporting our efforts, which we do in our yearly Impact Report.
What advice would you offer to companies attempting to become a B Corp?
It’s important to look at the assessment under every lens and to consider every section as equally important. B Corp is about recognising that efforts are being made through your entire organization and for every possible stakeholder. It’s okay to not be perfect, but it’s critical, to be honest with where you are and where you need to improve.
Do you believe that B Corps are offering a better direction for sustainability?
We believe that being a B Corp is the right community to be a part of. We hope that it’ll become at least the baseline for every company while purpose-driven companies lead the way for how businesses of the future should operate. However, no certification can solve the world’s problems, and becoming a B Corp shouldn’t be an excuse to continue as we are.
Sustainability is about creating a positive impact, ensuring that future generations have the resources they need. Simply doing ‘less damage’ as a company is not enough. We need to be doing more for the planet and its inhabitants. The argument for mitigating action through offsetting or tree planting is the same. It shouldn’t be an excuse to carry on as usual.
07 Mar 2022